It is especially hard these days to maintain a center of equilibrium amid the pressures & stresses of daily life. It is difficult to escape reading or hearing stories & murky pieces of information that bring us down, making us question the sanity of the world & the viability of our own futures. We long for supportive connections with others, loving communities, & homes where we can escape from the chaos & bad news.
Over time, a constant diet of sadness & fearful information produces an unconscious but continuous state of psychological fear. Psychological fear keeps us in an artificial state of hyper vigilance so that we are ready to defend ourselves at any moment. This fear never lets up. It causes us to hold our muscles & tendons in a continuous state of tension. Worry & concern line our faces & get stored in our internal organs. All kinds of diseases can take hold, & often do, because what is really happening is that we are compromising our immune systems. The energy that would normally go to repairing & healing our bodies is instead going to holding the tension & the negativity we cannot express & instead repress.
What does all of this fight or flight behavior achieve? It serves all of those things we worry might happen but research says 90% of the time never do. In other words, it serves nothing at all but causing us harm.
Once we choose to recognize the importance of addressing our psychological fear, we can open our hearts to practices & states of mind & body that allow us to step back from disease. It allows us to breathe, replenish ourselves, & find peace & contentment. This way of separating ourselves from the clamor outside to the peace within us, I like to call calm abiding.
Calm abiding is being aware of our personal needs & feelings, thereby allowing us to choose healthy feelings, thoughts & actions. When we pay attention to our thoughts & feelings, we can choose the ones that make us feel whole & complete. Calm abiding allows us to embrace the wisdom of our self-worth & the unique value we bring to this beautiful world that G-d gave us. It offers us the option to bring more hope, love & joy to every decision we make & action we take; it enables us to live as G-d would want us to. Calm abiding means we can choose to say no to the thoughts & actions that make us feel inadequate & less than ourselves. It means we can open our eyes to love & healthy supportive relationships & communities which are actually in greater supply & abundance than we are led to believe. We are encouraged to contribute to making the world better when we can see the opportunities around us & we can work to improve things we care deeply about.
So how can you practice calm abiding? There are many methods around & each person will find themselves moving toward one or two practices that work best for them. The most important elements to keep in mind when beginning a new practice are:
1) What practice helps you relax the most deeply & completely?
2) Which one gives you the greatest gift/benefit in terms of how you feel at the conclusion of each session?
3) Which choice are you most likely to engage in consistently so it becomes a habit? (tip: close to home or work, quiet/non-distracting environment, best time of day)
4) Are you willing and ready to do whatever is necessary to relax, calm your mind, & build psychological health?
5) How important to you on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being less & 10 being more), is finding a relaxation technique? If it's less than 8, you're not ready.
There are many calm abiding practices available, from yoga, exercise, and visualization techniques, changing your inner self talk, tai chi, chi gong & many more. But when it comes to effectiveness over time & the greatest joy for your effort, meditation has been found to be one of the greatest vehicle to finding true relaxation, calm abiding, the true nature of things, & spiritual transformation; enabling you to be one with G-d.
A good way to begin your meditation practice is to find a class in your community (there usually are some) & begin meditating with a group. This will give you the support & instruction to successfully develop a practice of your own. There are many good meditation books out there as well & I would recommend you go to a local book shop & look through the volumes on meditation until you find the one you like. I have found that people tend to have vastly different likes, dislikes & needs when it comes to meditation books, so you are better off browsing on your own. If you choose to begin meditating on your own, here are some tips:
• Sitting quietly in a comfortable position on a chair or floor cushion, or outdoors under a tree, close your eyes, invite G-d to join you & then focus on your breathing. Let your thoughts come & go; noticing how they fall away as you think them. Do not force; just surrender to time & space. This is a natural organic process that needs no help from you.
• Find the time of day when you can experience the fewest distractions, & you are the most relaxed.
• Meditate in the same place each time; you can use soft music to set the mood; I am normally outside, so I use the sounds of nature.
• Start with 10 to 15 minutes each day & build longer meditations as you can.
• Meditate the same time, same place & same way each time; consistency is important.
• Once you are able to feel free, being totally relaxed, you will sense & feel the presence of G-d by your side & talking with Him in this relaxed state of mind, will become the most beautiful experience you could have.
May G-d’s true peace be within you.
G-d Bless.
J
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20 comments:
I do like this very much. We all struggle with relaxation and often lack of sleep. Meditation certainly does help with both. Well written my friend. G-d Bless you.
Great advice for meditation. Well written.
Very nicely written. Meditation is definitely very good for us all. Very good thoughts in this one about meditation and G-d. Thanks for sharing.
Well written! Meditation is the best. G-d bless you. :)
This is nice J. Bazil and I do meditation before bed every night. We play soft panflute music in the background and it is very soothing. I agree with you on how important meditation is; not only for relaxation, but for talking to G-d on a different level. I think more people should try it. The world is far to stressed. Happy Shabbos and G-d Bless you.
Thanks for sharing J. I will be trying this tonight.
I like yoga and exercisin' so what ya sayin' about meditation all combined should give me a nice session. I need to experience that moment ya talkin' about ya know. I have to get somethin' to help with everythin' happenin'. Thanks for sharin' J. G-d bless ya.
Thanks for sharing this. Very enlightening info.
I will be trying out your method of meditation today. Your blogs are always very inspiring and interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Inspirational. Good writing J. I like meditating on the waves. :) Out there, salt in the air, just me and Him one on one. Thanks for sharing. :)
I can't believe I missed reading this one! My mom and dad have shared with me and we have been doing family meditation together but it is so much better reading what you wrote for myself. :) I know you hear it all the time, but, I love whatever you write! You are such a big inspiration in my life. Thanks! G-d bless you.
Meditation is certainly the best medicine for the soul. Thank you for sharing. G-d bless you J.
I meditate daily. It is part of my routine. I enjoyed your thoughts on meditation. Thank you.
Good writing. Meditation is opening a passageway to feel G-d; to speak with Him and for you to also listen. G-d Bless you when you meditate and always.
Thanks for sharing. I'll give meditation a try and maybe I'll get answers and some peace.
Very inspiring. A new technique to try out in a minute. Thanks for sharing. G-d bless you.
This is great. Thanks for sharing.
Meditation works for me. Totally relaxing. Thanks for sharing. Well written.
Group meditation would not work for me; I prefer to meditate alone. Thanks for the helpful tips though. You always make sense just at the times when I need it.
I agree that solo meditation works best for me. One on one time with G-d. I am now entering a time with no Facebook and extra free time. I plan to add plenty of one on one time to help strengthen relationship with our Heavenly Father. Thank you for this wonderful advice, J. You are right...I could've really used this when you first wrote you. G-d Bless you and K always. >:D<
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